Lewis c



L. C. ASHLEY.

Candle Mold; v

No. 12,193. Patented Jan 9, 1855,

Witnesses= /%E i I t ag nven or LEWIS C. ASHLEY, OE TROY, NEXV YORK.

CANDLE-MOLD MACHINE,

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,193, dated. January 9, 1855.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS C.v ASHLEY, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Candle-Making 1 Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the is a longitudinal section of the same.

part of this The same letters have reference to likeparts in each of the figures.

The nature, or principle of my invention, and that which distinguishes it from all other improvements in candle making machines heretofore known, consists 1st, in the peculiar mode or manner inwhich the candle wicks are centered cut, and the ends held tight, until the molds are filled with tallow, and the candles drawn therefrom. This is done by means of an apparatus composed of fixed and movable plates, the movable plate being so arranged as to slide in grooves on each side of the stationary plate (stationary in res ect to the movable plate only) and is a justed or moved therein, either way as desired, by means of a thumb screw or its equivalent, at the end of the plate. The stationary plate has notches made on each side of the groove, the notches on the upper side being finished with a cutting edge; the movable or adjust-ible plate has also corresponding notches made on its edges, so that when the notches in the adjustible plate are moved past the notches in the stationary plate, the candle wick is centered, cut, and the ends held fast.

2dly. In tightening the wick by means of two slidin plates, one sliding within the other, (a ouble plate,) each plate having corresponding holes-through them for the passage of the candlewick, which is stretched and tightened by drawing the single plate outward from the double plate, and when necessary both plates can be drawn outward for that purpose.

The description is as follows viz, A is the frame of the machine, B B are candle molds, G top or face of machine, D D standards for supporting the Windlass E which is prothe face or top of the machine and are kept iperp'endicular and in position by the pins (a 0:) on the side of the machine.

and holding the ends of the wicks so as to draw the candles from the molds. This apparatus is constructed as follows: G is the stationary plate, each edge of which is grooved (6) deep enough to have the adjustable plate H slide back and forth within the grooves, the edges of the stationary plate have notches (c c 0) cut in at the same distances apart from each other, that the centers of the candle molds are apart from each other, the notches on the upper edge of the groove have one of their sides finished as a cutter or knife The adjustable plate H has likewise notches (e e 6) out in its edges to correspond with those out in the stationary plate; these plates are then combined by sliding one upon the other, and made to operate as designed by means of the thumb screw I which works through the head of the adjustable plate, and into the end of the stationar plate.

J is the wick tig tener. Constructed of two plates, one (f) sliding within the other (g), each, plate having holes (h) corresponding with each other in the distances between the holes, as seen in Fig. 4. This tightener is arranged in the machine by inserting the ends through the holes K Fig. 3, made in the frame of the machine, and securing it therein by the spring L.

(70) is a pin, which slipping into notches made on the edge of the tightener, prevents it from being pulled back by the spring, thus loosening the wicks.

M is the wick spool.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The wick spool having been supplied with wick, it is passed from thence through the holes in the tightener, into the molds, up to the apparatus for centering &c. where it is centered and held tight by the ends, the wicks are now tightened by drawing out the plate (f) sufficiently for that purpose, and holding it by the pin (76), the molds are now filled with melted tallow, and when sufficiently cool, the candles are drawn from the molds by placing thehooks (Z Z), attached by cords to the Windlass, under the ends of the centering &c., apparatus and unloosening the wick tightener, then draw- F is the apparatus for centering, cutting ing them out by turning the crank when the wick tightener is adjusted, and another set of centering &c. plates, is placed on the face of the machine over the molds, and the wicks being centered, cut and the ends held fast by moving the adjustable plate by means of the thumb screw, and the molds are ready for refilling, the candles previously molded being in the meantime removed from the machine, so as not to have their glossy surface dimmed by heat from the melted tallow.

Having thus fully described my improved candle molding machine, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. I claim the apparatus F for centering, 

